Southampton remain in the hunt to make an instant return to the Premier League, as they sit fourth in the Championship.
Russell Martin‘s side are six points adrift of Leeds United, who occupy the final automatic promotion spot, though, they do have a game in hand.
With just 10 games remaining of the gruelling campaign, The Saints can’t afford any more slip-ups after a blip last month that saw them suffer three defeats in four.
Director of Football Jason Wilcox will already be planning for the summer transfer window and one rumoured target has just emerged.
Southampton linked with Juventus forward Matias Soule
According to OnTheMinute, Southampton are preparing to make a move for Matias Soule, who is on a season-long loan at Serie A side Frosinone from Juventus.
The 20-year-old wide player has enjoyed a stellar campaign, netting 10 times whilst laying on two assists in a side battling to survive at the foot of the table.
Juventus received a £21m offer from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad in Janaury but that deal never came to fruition. The Italian giants are said to value their starlet at £34m, as per Calcio Mercato.
The report further claims that a trio of Premier League clubs are lining up for his services, including Crystal Palace, Newcastle United and Brentford.
Southampton’s move for Soule all depends on one thing, whether they can achieve promotion back to the top flight, which remains an uncertainty at present.
What type of player is Matias Soule?
The Football Talent Scout website profiled Soule in January and credited him a 9.5/10 potential rating, which indicates they believe he can become one of the best wingers in the world.
“Matías Soulé is a left-footed player gifted with exceptional technical abilities such as dribbling, passing, and ball control. As an extremely talented player, he knows how to utilize his strengths to the maximum and loves being a creator on the pitch,” the talent scout wrote.
The 2003-born can operate off the right or as a second striker, though, the majority of his goals have come from starting on the flank.
Soule has been capped at youth level by Argentina and he is wanted by the Italy national team, as reported by Football Italia.
It seems Saints will be up against it to land his signature this summer and if they remain in the Championship another season, their hopes of landing the highly-rated forward seem almost impossible.